The Mandate of Freedom
by Buddhacide
Summary: DW6 Cao Cao x WO2 Nu Wa. On his deathbed, the Hero of Chaos reflects on his failure to unite China as his lifelong companion, the divine Nu Wa, watches over him. Final reflections, and a goddess’s comfort as the King of Wei draws his last breath.


**The Mandate of Freedom**

DW6 Cao Cao x WO2 Nu Wa. On his deathbed, the Hero of Chaos reflects on his failure to unite China as his lifelong companion, the divine Nu Wa, watches over him. Final reflections, and a goddess's comfort as the King of Wei draws his last breath.

This is a one-shot about Cao Cao's passing. It follows on from Heaven's Mandate, skipping forward many years in time to revisit the Hero of Chaos after Guan Yu's execution in Wu. Chivalry and loyalty are dead. Noblemen are only as good as the world allows them to be. Old friendships have been dissolved and abandoned. Dark clouds hang over the ancient capital of Luoyang as the ruler of Wei struggles with a mysterious, unrecorded illness that eventually claims his frail life. The kingdom will never be the same without his stewardship. His son, Cao Pi, will usurp the throne of the Han and declare himself Emperor. The war between the Three Kingdoms will intensify until Wei annihilates Shu and devours itself, emerging as Jin. In turn, Wu shall meet its end at the hands of Jin and its ruler, Sima Yi's grandson.

But something has gone unrecorded. And that is the dawn of Mengde's wish.

I'm not sure if you've read Heaven's Mandate. But if you've read up to this part, you probably have an interest in DW6 Cao Cao and/or WO2 Nu Wa. And that is good enough for me. Please enjoy.

*

_Luoyang_

The King of Wei was dying.

Even in his youth he had never been a large or hardy man, and here on his bed inside a humble room of lacquer, stone, and wood, he could barely think as his mysterious illness suffocated every vein in his body. It was as if the pores of his skin could not even cool the fever that was scorching his skull. He had swiped away his sweat with the sleeve of his white attire. No longer was he lavishly clothed in the royal, decadent outfit that characterized his premiership. He had been reduced to a coughing, bed-ridden wreck of a man, a parody of his days as a general on the field of war, a leader amongst leaders.

He had already written his last testament and given his final orders: he was to be buried in commoner's clothes, and any riches that were to be buried with him should be redirected to the imperial treasury. The world was still mired in chaos and violence, and the wars between his hard-won realm and the rebels were far from over. It was a pity – a truly great pity – that he would never see his dream come to fruition.

But his sheer will to life, to power, was enough to push back death itself, if only for a little longer. His voice was strained as the wooden ceiling faded in and out of sight. His body was tense, tenser than he had imagined. But was it because of his physical afflictions, or was it caused by something else?

Was it because he did not want to leave just yet?

"I… have failed the Middle Kingdom. I have failed my ambition and my officers. But most of all…"

He turned to his left, watching the radiant, celestial feathers drifting down past his bedside. For a moment, his heart felt at ease, as if a pillar of anxiety had been lifted away. Thank Heaven; she was here. He would not die alone. But then the crushing effects of the illness returned, and his heart returned to its previous sorry state, thumping helplessly like the hooves of a captured Red Hare. "I have failed you," he whispered, watching the shining halo he knew so well. "I cannot keep the promise I made… and they say a man is only as good as his word."

The jewelled headdress. That flowing, snow-white ponytail. Her pouting lips and large, golden eyes, simultaneously seductive and holy. Her brassiere of diamonds and lapis lazuli, her jade and gold collar. Her regal sigil of the Yin and Yang, a lustrous diadem proclaiming the Supreme Ultimate. Cao Cao was about to speak to the goddess, but the incomparable beauty pre-empted him. "Quiet," she commanded. "I've been in this room ever since your servants brought you here. Save your strength unless you have something meaningful to say."

Perhaps historians would come to misconstrue the role he had wished to play. They might misinterpret the vision that he nurtured throughout the drama of the Three Kingdoms. Perhaps in the end, he was really a simple servant of Nu Wa, having promised her a new world free from the abuse of the weak and the realization of humanity's potential. In any case, Cao Cao would only be remembered for having lusted after Xiao Qiao, loved Lady Bian, and fathered more than twenty-five children with various women. His love for Nu Wa would probably go unrecorded in both history and legend. Which was all the more reason why the couple believed in it with every fibre of their being.

Her pale, queenly countenance was serene. "You do not have long, little brother," she said, with an air of resigned finality. "Soon I must claim you, too."

"Elder Sister," murmured Cao Cao, as the back of his head pressed against his cushion. His long hair was not nearly as tidy or elegant as it once was. But he kept his dignity – he embodied it even as his life fled him. "I was worried you would hide yourself from me today. I am happy that I was wrong."

He did not even bother to rise – the lazy man. "You greedy thing. You want me to indulge you, to attend to you," observed Nu Wa dryly. She was, however, willing to oblige. Her slim, heeled boots glided noiselessly across the wooden boards, and she laid her gloved hands on him, touching his arm delicately.

"Mengde," she whispered dotingly. "My little king."

"Look," he said, his hands trembling. "I have taken off my raven gloves." He stared up at her as she smoothed back his white garments. Her gentle stroking of his body seemed to invigorate him slightly. But she would not interfere with nature's course. It was his wish as much as it was hers. "Are you not pleased that I am so vulnerable now? So… _dependent_ on the goodwill of those sending me off?"

_Sardonic, even unto death_. She ignored his teasing. It was not consonant with the emotions within her. But in retrospect, few things had ever pleased her. His hard work was one of the exceptions. And that made this sad day quite difficult, even for an aloof divinity such as herself. "Why do you look at me so intensely?" she asked, noticing his demonic eyes boring into her celestial orbs.

"I am remembering the various occasions we spent in congress," sneered the king. "I am recalling your face. Contorted with wild, primeval pleasure, with the uninhibited lustre of the divine dance. Expressing _shock_ that a mortal man like me could ever… delight you so."

"As self-congratulatory as ever, I see. You'll never change, not even on your deathbed." Nu Wa closed her eyes as she listened to Cao Cao's frail, weakening heartbeat. She did not need to place her head against his chest to know that his end was near. "I admit that your surprises are more than enough to impress me. But I understand you quite well. You will take your devotion for this nation to the grave with you. I assume you have entrusted Sima Yi with the war against Zhuge Liang."

"I have concluded my affairs with Xiahou Dun and Cousin Ren," rasped Cao Cao in reply. "In these decades I have conquered many. Only those brats, Liu Bei and Sun Quan, are left. I will entrust their demise to my eldest son and whoever else is fit to challenge them. I have done all I can to ensure Wei's future. Everything I have played a part in… my reign… has been brought to a fitting close. Only one task remains undone." He stared at her. His hawklike gaze was as penetrating and sincere as it was when he was only a child.

"I owe you an apology."

"Excuse me?" she asked. Her right hand was clasping his clammy palm, and her gloved fingers were caressing his trembling knuckles. "What nonsense are you speaking of, boy?"

"Have I not told you already? I have betrayed everything that _you_ entrusted _me_ with. The nation is still in chaos. Shu and Wu still stand. That promise I made to you when I was of seven springs…" He gritted his teeth. "That I would give you a new world… it hasn't come. I haven't won it for you." He smiled, although to her surprise, it was a rare, genuinely sad smile. "Years ago, I told you that I wanted to travel the world after All Under Heaven was united. I wanted to go west, to see the vast deserts that hug the distant limits of our nation. I wanted to join the nomads and herdsmen that spend their lives in harmony with the natural cycle you established for our world. And who knows what marvels I would have seen if I went further west, to a distant empire that could rival mine?"

"What do you expect me to say? Are you hoping for me to forgive you?" Nu Wa's lips brushed along his forehead. Her grip tightened around his fingers. "There is nothing to forgive. It is true that your promise will go unfulfilled. But believe me, there are many champions that have come and gone. There are also many champions still to catch my eye. Heaven has not seen the end of human history just yet. You would be mistaken to believe that the world would not continue without you. But amongst all the champions I have chosen and will choose, the Hero of Chaos stands taller than any other." Nu Wa laughed quietly. "I thank you for your efforts, beloved. They have far exceeded my expectations. I promise you that they will not go unrepaid. For generations from now, they will call you a hero, a master of war, and a menacingly seductive titan. They will see you like I do."

Cao Cao's dark eyes glimmered. "But the new world…" he forced out, looking imploringly at his one true friend. "It should've been my right. It should've been yours to enjoy, here and now."

"The new world can wait. I am infinite and eternal. I have a patience that will exhaust the cosmos. What matters now is the new world within your heart."

Cao Cao convulsed feverishly, perhaps envious of the champions she would select in the future. For a moment, Nu Wa thought he would actually shed a tear or two. She silently chastised herself for her naïveté when she remembered whom she was dealing with. But her little brother did have more praise for her. "You… are relentless in your mercy, aren't you? You have always trusted your instincts, which were what compelled you to choose me over Liu Bei and Sun Quan. You are absolute. You loved me until I bled," he said softly.

She stroked his cheek, running the back of her fingers along his tanned, stretched skin. "Had you conquered China and gone on your little holiday, I may have proved to be rather enjoyable company along the way. But I have sometimes wondered if you wish to be free of me."

"Have you forgotten the adoration I felt for you when I was but a stripling?" asked Cao Cao, shaking his head feebly. "When I leave this city forever, I'll be itching to abandon everything else like bad poetry. You… I won't _want_ to forget. I do not _want_ to be free from you. I desire a different kind of freedom. The freedom to _leave_."

Nu Wa suddenly felt an almost maternal sadness welling within her immortal core. "Some things that you desire simply cannot be," she declared. She permitted herself to kiss him, and her warm, fresh lips pressed against his dry mouth. "Even I am shaped by those impossibilities. They shape the very bonds that tie your heart with mine."

Somewhere beyond his mind, Cao Cao could swear he could hear a flute playing. His eyes dimmed, and his eyelids hid them from the world one last time. All he could see was her face, looking down at him with boundless affection and compassion. _You teach me, beloved, the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Between understanding, and acceptance. This pain is mine. My crimes are my own. And you are mine. That is all I will take with me_.

His withered voice hadn't abated just yet, although it was no longer audible. Only Nu Wa could have discerned the garbled groan that floated beyond his throat. "I love you. I revere you as the stars revered their creator when the worlds were first made."

"And I am that creator. How fitting, that you compare yourself with a blazing nova. The phoenix of Wei has always shone brighter than its opponents, and you shall illuminate my Heaven in the same way. Go gladly and peacefully, child," whispered Nu Wa, her golden eyes shining with unspeakable tenderness. "I want you just as you are. I will wait for you on the other side."

A sigh, and a slight, involuntary twitch. His grip loosened, and his emaciated hand relaxed completely in hers. It was a simple order of business, really. After so many loving exchanges, after so many words of comfort, the result was irrevocably the same. He died without another word, and his death was the most beautiful death she had ever witnessed. In his last moments, he had proved to her that she had not been wrong. She had made the right choice, the best choice for the people of China. Shifting faintly, she drew even closer, looking upon his slackened, silent form. His weathered skin. His small beard and devilish tresses. His calm and unperturbed face.

It was not a face of contentment. But it was a face of rest.

She couldn't stop her lips from parting in contemplation. The corpse that lay before her was striking in every sense of the word. Her mouth yearned to kiss him again. He was so handsome, so brave.

So brave that he stepped into nothingness like a man rises in the morning to greet his own reflection in the mirror.

*

_Goodbye, my cousins. Goodbye, my warriors and servants. I will not forget your loyalty._

_Farewell… my son_.

His night-black gloves are covering his warm hands again. He is as robust and imposing as he was when he crushed Yuan Shao at Guan Du and brought the Central Plains under his wing. He takes a moment to reorient himself, and continues on his endless journey. Into the void he courageously flies. Across time, space, and the history of the world, his echoes fade into tranquility. There is nothing in the wake of the departure that daunts him. The ineffable eternities do not jar him. Though the world may have hated and feared him, there is no loneliness in his heart. The absence of advisors and officers does not bother him in the slightest. For Cao Cao Mengde, the lack of resolve has never been a problem. Let that weakness haunt other great men. He has no time for it.

For the Hero of Chaos _is_ his own path. Beneath the swords and the armies, beneath the politics and imperial authority, there is only will – raw, bare, _will_. He is not bested by pandemonium, but thrives in it. He masters it. And he sees not by the lanterns of Xuchang, but by his own light.

And, perhaps, by the light of one other.

She is waiting for him.

His minister's shoes land on solidity, although there is no longer any ground to walk on. His dark, royal cape billows around him, though there is no wind here. The drapes of Creation flutter before the light emanating from the woman in front of him. Ivory and ebony stockings enfold her legs, decorated with symbols of the Eight Trigrams. Draping down her thighs is a long, green and ebony overskirt, iridescent with motifs from the very universe.

Narrow but satisfied eyes meet golden irises. And in those irises, he can see distant stars glittering and burning with anticipation. He smirks in greeting, for he knows no other way to smile. She understands that – it has always been so. She returns his grin as she reaches out with a coy, slender arm. Her expression is happy. Beaming in welcome.

Respectfully, we watch their reunion from a magnificent distance.

We cannot hear what they are saying to each other.

He slowly takes her outstretched hand.

And follows her untraceable footsteps.

*

*

*

**THE END**


End file.
